Description

Limited Yellow Coloured Vinyl with Download.

Along with Dr. Dre's The Chronic, the Wu-Tang Clan's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),
was one of the most influential rap albums of the '90s. Its spare yet
atmospheric production - courtesy of RZA - mapped out the sonic
blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years
to come. It laid the groundwork for the rebirth of New York hip-hop in
the hardcore age, paving the way for everybody from Biggie and Jay-Z to
Nas and Mobb Deep. Moreover, it introduced a colorful cast of hugely
talented MCs, some of whom ranked among the best and most unique
individual rappers of the decade. Some were outsized, theatrical
personalities, others were cerebral storytellers and lyrical
technicians, but each had his own distinctive style, which made for an
album of tremendous variety and consistency.

Every track on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed with fresh,
inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop
culture references (everything from Voltron to Lucky Charms cereal
commercials to Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were), bizarre
threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humour. Their
off-kilter menace is really brought to life, however, by the eerie,
lo-fi production, which helped bring the raw sound of the underground
into mainstream hip-hop. Starting with a foundation of hard, gritty
beats and dialogue samples from kung fu movies, RZA kept things
minimalistic, but added just enough minor-key piano, strings, or muted
horns to create a background ambience that works like the soundtrack to a
surreal nightmare. There was nothing like it in the hip-hop world at
the time, and even after years of imitation, Enter the Wu-Tang
still sounds fresh and original. Subsequent group and solo projects
would refine and deepen this template, but collectively, the Wu have
never been quite this tight again.